This invention relates generally to an air handling system and, in particular, to an air handling system having modular sections.
More specifically, this invention relates to a modular section for an air handling system for housing an air conditioning component such as a heat exchanger coil for heating or cooling air that is being conducted through the air handling system. Some air handling systems are designed to allow the air conditioning coil to be removed from either the left or right side of the unit. This, however, places certain, oftentimes unwanted, limitations on the design of the system.
Due to installation limitations, this type of side access to the equipment is oftentimes denied and the coil must be removed through the top of the unit. This, in turn, requires the dismantling of a number of the air handling unit components to provide the necessary access to disconnect the coil from the air conditioning unit and raise the coil through the top opening. Current designs require the dismantling of the structure retainer of the modular unit that houses the coil as well as some of the related structural members. This procedure is not only time consuming but also poses a danger to the coil.
is an object of the present invention to improve air handling systems, and, in particular, modular units of the system in which air handling equipment is housed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a modular section for an air handling unit that is capable of housing a heat exchanger coil and which can be easily accessed for installing and removing of the coil.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide ease of access to an air conditioner coil housed within an air handling unit.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of time needed to install or remove a piece of air handling equipment from a modular section of an air handling system.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by a rectangular shaped three-dimensional modular section of an air handling system that is arranged to house related air handling equipment such as a heat exchanger coil. The modular section includes a structural framework having a pair of rectangular spaced-apart end frames that are cojoined by longitudinally extended beams that are attached at either end to the opposing corners of the spaced apart frames. The openings in the framework between the beams are closed by heat insulated removable panels. The two ends of each beam are equipped with an end cap that mates with a corner piece that joins a vertical leg of a frame to a horizontal leg. The end caps each have a hole with a recessed entrance that aligns with a threaded member carried in the mating corner piece. A threaded fastener is passed through the hole and threaded into the member thus securing both ends of the beam in the opposed end frames. Removal of the one longitudinally extended beam and the adjacent side wall panels provides extensive access to the coil housed within the module section.